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With the widespread popularity of specialty coffee culture, more and more coffee lovers have begun to purchase coffee equipment, coffee utensils and coffee beans online, and learn how to brew a cup of coffee that satisfies them.
In recent years, the coffee equipment market on the market has also launched a variety of espresso coffee machines suitable for home use, so many coffee lovers will buy an espresso coffee machine at home.
Because they don’t have much in-depth understanding of espresso coffee machines, many friends fail to clean them in time and perform regular deep cleaning after use. As a result, the coffee machine begins to have various minor problems after being used for a period of time...
For example, the steam becomes smaller, the water falling from the brewing head is uneven, water leakage occurs during the extraction process after the handle is fastened... How should we deal with these situations? How to maintain the espresso machine in daily life?
"Daily Cleaning of Home Coffee Machines"
Currently, the Front Street store uses an espresso machine suitable for home use and community/small coffee shops. Generally, coffee machines used at home are easier to clean because they are not used frequently. However, you also need to pay attention to cleaning after use and regular parts cleaning~
Daily cleaning refers to the cleaning steps we need to do after the coffee is made. There are usually two parts that need to be paid attention to: timely cleaning of the steam wand and timely cleaning of the water distribution network of the brewing head.
1.Timely cleaning of steam wand
After heating and frothing milk, a thin layer of milk foam will remain on the steam wand. If not cleaned in time, the high temperature of the steam wand will cause the milk foam to stick to the steam wand and gradually burn. Over time, not only will it easily deteriorate and produce odor, but the solidified milk will also block the steam holes, causing the steam from the steam wand to become smaller in the future.
Therefore, every time you finish making milk froth, you need to immediately wipe off the remaining milk froth with a clean wet rag, swing the steam wand head above the water barrier (do not point it in the direction of anyone), and then turn on the steam again for air spray. The purpose is to spray out the milk that may remain inside the steam outlet.
2.Timely cleaning of the water distribution network of the brewing head
The water-distributing mesh is the mesh part of the brewing head, which is the part that directly contacts the coffee powder every time you brew coffee. Since the coffee powder is compacted, the coffee liquid can only seep out of the powder bowl when the pressure reaches a certain value. Therefore, before seepage, there is still a possibility of partial backflow of the coffee liquid. Even if the coffee finally seeps out, some coffee oil and grounds may remain in the water distribution network.
If it is not cleaned for a long time, a large amount of residue and grease will remain in the water distribution network and pipes, which will affect the taste of coffee brewing.
Therefore, every time after extracting espresso, remember to clean off the coffee powder in the powder bowl. The coffee residue attached to the water separation net can be rinsed away by pressing the water release button of the brewing head. You can also use a cleaning brush to clean off the coffee residue attached to the water separation net.
"Cleaning before turning off the coffee"
Generally, if it is a coffee machine used at home, because the frequency of use is not high, there is no need to use special powder for cleaning frequently. However, you still need to use the blind bowl (a powder bowl without a water outlet) equipped with the coffee machine for backflushing. The pressure generated by the coffee machine itself is used to continuously flush the brewing head with hot water. Since the water cannot flow out, it is sucked back into the pipe to clean the coffee residue and release it.
After the backflush is completed, remove the blind bowl handle, then turn on the switch and let the water flow out of the brewing head. Use a brush to clean the remaining coffee powder/coffee stains in the groove of the brewing head (be gentle when brushing, and pay attention to the escaping of hot water). Finally, wipe the entire coffee machine with a clean cloth.
After turning off the power, we also need to turn on the steam wand switch to discharge the remaining steam to prevent steam water from remaining in the pipe for a long time and causing scale. Finally, pour out the coffee water part of the coffee machine, then clean and dry it.
"Regular deep cleaning of coffee machine parts"
Even if the machine is cleaned in time after each coffee is made, and before shutting down, it is difficult to avoid coffee stains remaining inside the water distribution network over a long period of time, and milk stains will more or less block the air outlet.
1.Deep cleaning with steam wand
There are two situations when the steam hole is blocked, one is blocked by scale and the other is blocked by milk stains. Generally, the head of the steam wand can be removed. If not, we will soak and clean the entire steam wand.
For the former, we need to use special scale cleaning powder to dilute it according to the proportion and soak it. The latter can be soaked in hot water, and then used to clear it with a special steam hole cleaning brush/SIM card needle. Finally, place the steam wand above the water-proof area, and then turn on the steam again for air spray to observe whether the air outlet state is restored.
If it does not recover and it is determined that it is not caused by a blocked hole, you need to contact the coffee machine after-sales service/repair technician for inspection.
2.Deep cleaning of water distribution network
Although we clean the water distribution network from time to time, the water distribution network is a bowl-shaped part. We only brush the bottom of the water distribution network, and the inside cannot be brushed. However, if the water distribution network is frequently disassembled, it may easily lead to deformation of the water distribution network. So we need to prepare special coffee machine cleaning powder (available in packages online).
Then proceed as you would daily backwash, but with the extra step of adding powder. First, we remove the powder bowl from the brewing handle, press the blind bowl, and put about 3g of coffee machine cleaning powder into the blind bowl.
Then fasten the brew portafilter and press the extraction button. Due to the resistance of the blind bowl, the coffee machine will release pressure during pressurized extraction, thereby "sucking" the cleaning powder into the pressure relief pipe, which plays a cleaning role. The backflush time of the cleaning powder should not be too long, about 15 seconds each time, and 3-5 consecutive operations. The reason is that the pressure relief valve may be damaged if it works for a long time.
After backflushing 5 times, pull out the coffee handle and you can see water with coffee dirt and foam in the blind bowl. At this time, you need to press the extraction button to drain part of the sewage containing coffee cleaning powder, and then use a cleaning brush to clean the brewing head and water distribution network.
3.Deep cleaning of handle bowl
If you are using a brewing portafilter with a diverter spout, there will be a lot of coffee residue and grease left in it, and it will emit a bad smell if it is not cleaned for a long time. Therefore, you need to prepare a basin of boiling hot water, pour some coffee machine cleaning powder, stir evenly, put the brewing handle and coffee powder bowl into the basin and soak for 30 minutes. Then use clean water to wash away the sewage with cleaning powder.
"Regular maintenance of coffee machine"
If water leaks from the side when extracting coffee, or the handle cannot be fastened and straightened after being buckled in, it may be that the apron is hardened. At this time, we need to purchase a new apron to replace it.
(The left side is the hardened rubber ring and the right side is the new rubber ring)
The structure of the brewing head of each coffee machine will be different. How to disassemble the brewing head and take out the rubber ring is recommended to contact the after-sales service first, and then disassemble it.
First, turn off the coffee machine and wait until the coffee machine has cooled down (to avoid getting burned) before removing the brewing head. Then we can first soak and clean the water distribution network/water and use a brush to rinse away the coffee stains in the network.
Then, after disassembling the aged apron, use a clean cloth to wipe away the coffee residue on the brewing head, as well as some carbonized apron residue that may have been left behind because the apron was not replaced in time after aging.
Then put the new rubber ring on the water distribution net and install it back on the brewing head. The method of replacing the rubber ring will be different for different models of brewing heads, so be sure to ask after-sales service before starting the operation~
"About water used in coffee machines"
It is recommended to use filtered water for home espresso machines~
Unfiltered water/water with too many impurities and minerals can easily cause scale in the coffee machine boiler, which can affect the taste of the coffee, and in severe cases can lead to a reduction in boiler efficiency. If there is a lot of scale attached to the boiler, the cost of repairing and cleaning the boiler will be a lot of money.
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You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
